Refugee youth are often left out of activities and programmes organised by the UN, NGOs and other organisations. Youth have skills, capabilities, aspirations and needs that often go unrecognised and are not understood. There is a need to reach out and hear from them about the challenges they face, their visions and what support they need to shape positive futures. The consultations are providing opportunities for refugee youth to discuss issues that affect them with host country youth and representatives from the United Nations, international NGOs, national NGOs and other organizations working with youth in the country. The process aims to place youth at the centre of decision making processes that affect them and to recognize their potential. The target group for this project are young refugees that fit the United Nations definition of ‘Youth’ which is all boys and girls, young women and young men between the ages of 15-24 years.
World Vision Kenya in partnership with UNHCR Geneva, the Women’s Refugee Commission, UNHCR Kenya, Film Aid, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) hosted the Global Refugee Youth Consultation meeting with 28 refugee youth from Dadaab, Kakuma and urban refugees in Nairobi. This took place in Nairobi at Corat Africa hotel in Karen. Unlike other countries that have hosted the national consultations, Kenya decided to take a consortium approach and to involve a number of humanitarian and non-governmental organizations to collaborate around hosting the consultation.
